Hertl, 19, was San Jose’s first-round pick (17th overall) at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The Czech native has spent the last three seasons playing with Slavia Praha of the Czech Extraliga, emerging as a talented scoring despite being one of the youngest players in the league.

Last year, Hertl had 30 points in 43 games, an impressive feat given the number of NHLers that played in the Extraliga during the lockout (Slavia Praha featured St. Louis’ Vladimir Sobotka and Calgary’s Roman Cervenka).

At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Hertl could have a shot at cracking the Sharks roster for 2013-14.

He’s spent the last two seasons playing professionally in one of the better domestic European leagues, and was the youngest player chosen to represent the Czech Republic at the 2013 World Hockey Championships, averaging over 12 minutes while appearing in all eight of the team’s games.